Asylum Seekers In Australia

The other rationale deterrence measures is that they prevent futile deaths. However, drawing causal relationships between Australia’s policies and refugee mortality is an almost impossible task. While Operation Relex and Operation Sovereign Borders clearly reduced arrivals to Australian territory, their impact on the attempted journeys has not been transparently reported by the relevant government agencies. The claims of immigration ministers are accepted, however, these operations have slowed the number of voyage attempts. Nonetheless, while they limited the potential for drownings in Australian waters, the follow-on effects from essentially impeding one route of fleeing persecution may not necessarily have a better outcome. This was made …show more content…
Specifically, the mental health impacts of each of discussed policies is of major concern in these vulnerable populations. Mandatory and extended detention, for example, has been frequently demonstrated to contribute to psychological distress with a clear correlation between the time spent in detention and level of distress (28-32). Key contributors to this distress are the persistent uncertainty and exposure to traumatic experiences in detention, such as self-harm and …show more content…
Alternatively, if any standard health and security checks are required for immigration they could be performed while they are in onshore community detention with a greater liberty permitted. The duration spent in community detention for these checks should be limited to two weeks maximum; this period was sufficient for these assessments when the practice was first introduced (5). Once these assessments are completed, asylum seekers should be given bridging visas and live freely in the community while their refugee status can be determined. The current situation of treating asylum seekers as guilty until proven innocent is not consistent with the regulations imposed in other countries who accept refugees as they do not use detention as a primary option (30). Furthermore, minors should not be placed in detention under any circumstances as the mental health damage that could be caused are more acute (22). I also propose that provisions are placed within the Australian Border Force Act document to excuse health professions from prosecution and that the Maintaining the Good Order of Immigration Detention Facilities Bill is not passed. Both of these policies give department staff unchecked power over asylum seekers and their advocates and have the potential to